Connection member and rechargeable battery

ABSTRACT

A connection member includes a guide plate and a first connecting plate integrally formed on the guide plate. The first connecting plate is disposed in a bendable manner relative to the guide plate, and at least one indentation is present between the first connecting plate and the guide plate. A portion, of the guide plate except a part corresponding to the at least one indentation, connected to the first connecting plate becomes gradually thinner in a direction from the guide plate to the first connecting plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 16/962,527,filed on Jul. 16, 2020, which is National Stage of InternationalApplication No. PCT/CN2018/080679, filed on Mar. 27, 2018, which claimspriority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201820067943.X entitled“CONNECTION MEMBER AND RECHARGEABLE BATTERY” and filed on Jan. 16, 2018,the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to the technical field of batteries, and inparticular to a connection member and a rechargeable battery.

BACKGROUND

With development of science and technology, increasingly highrequirements are imposed on rechargeable batteries. Lithium-ionbatteries are used as an example. With advantages of high energydensity, high power density, a long cycle life, and a long endurancetime, the lithium-ion batteries are widely used in portable electronicdevices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, and laptop computers,and are growing in popularity with electric transport such as electricvehicles and electric bicycles, and large and medium electric devicessuch as energy storage facilities, becoming an important technical meansto resolve global problems such as energy crisis and environmentalpollution. Electric vehicles and other devices that need to userechargeable batteries impose higher requirements on energy density andsafety performance of the rechargeable batteries.

In a prior-art square rechargeable battery, a tab of a battery core isconnected to a connection member. A first connecting plate, connected tothe tab, of the connection member is typically parallel to alongitudinal direction of the battery core. With growing demand onlarge-current batteries in the market, to meet a requirement ofprotecting against temperature rise resulting from battery overcurrent,a sufficient welding area needs to be provided between the firstconnecting plate and the tab, and the battery core needs to be largeenough in a longitudinal direction, thereby occupying more space. Thisresults in low space utilization and low energy density of the batterycore.

SUMMARY

An objective of this application is to provide a connection member and arechargeable battery, aiming to improve accuracy of a bending positionof the connection member, so as to avoid an adverse effect on a size ofthe connection member being bent.

A first aspect of this application provides a connection member of arechargeable battery, including a guide plate and a first connectingplate integrally formed on the guide plate, the first connecting plateis disposed in a bendable manner relative to the guide plate, and atleast one indentation is present between the first connecting plate andthe guide plate.

In some embodiments, the connection member includes the at least oneindentation provided on a side, of the connection member, to whichpressure is applied when the first connecting plate is bent relative tothe guide plate.

In some embodiments, all the indentations of the connection member areprovided on the side, of the connection member, to which pressure isapplied when the first connecting plate is bent relative to the guideplate.

In some embodiments, the guide plate includes a main plate body and aflanged portion, where the flanged portion is arranged at a side edge ofthe main plate body in a width direction, the first connecting plate isconnected to the guide plate through the flanged portion, and a distancebetween the at least one indentation and the main plate body is 1 to 3times a thickness of the main plate body.

In some embodiments, a cross-sectional shape of the at least oneindentation is one of a curve, a polygonal line and a combination of acurve and a straight line.

In some embodiments, an opening of the at least one indentation islarger than a bottom of the at least one indentation before the firstconnecting plate is bent relative to the guide plate.

In some embodiments, a depth of the at least one indentation is ¼ to ⅓of a minimum plate thickness at a position of the at least oneindentation when the at least one indentation is not provided.

In some embodiments, the at least one indentation is providedcontinuously along a full or partial length of the bending positionbetween the first connecting plate and the guide plate; or the at leastone indentation includes a plurality of indentation segments providedintermittently along the full or partial length of the bending positionbetween the first connecting plate and the guide plate.

In some embodiments, ends of a bending position between the firstconnecting plate and the guide plate include a first root and a secondroot that are respectively arranged at opposite ends of the bendingposition, the connection member includes a first groove arranged at thefirst root and disposed on the first connecting plate and the guideplate, and the first groove is recessed downward from an upper edge ofthe bending position.

In some embodiments, the connection member further includes a secondgroove arranged at the second root and disposed on the first connectingplate and the guide plate, and the second groove is recessed upward froma lower edge of the bending position.

In some embodiments, a thickness of the first connecting plate is set tobe smaller than a thickness of the guide plate.

In some embodiments, a portion, of the guide plate, connected to thefirst connecting plate becomes gradually thinner in the direction fromthe guide plate to the first connecting plate.

A second aspect of this application provides a rechargeable battery,including a battery core and the connection member according to any oneof the first aspect of this application, where a first connecting plateis connected to a tab of the battery core.

In some embodiments, the tab extends from a side of a core body in awidth direction; the guide plate extends along the width direction, andthe first connecting plate extends to an outer side of the guide platealong the width direction, at least a portion of the guide plateprotrudes, relative to the first connecting plate, towards the body ofthe battery core to form a protrusion, and the protrusion abuts againstthe battery core.

In some embodiments, the rechargeable battery further includes a gasketthat is fastened to the first connecting plate and the tab, and the tabis sandwiched between the first connecting plate and the gasket.

According to the connection member and the rechargeable battery providedin this application, the at least one indentation is provided to form athin part at the at least one indentation between the first connectingplate and the guide plate, so that the bending position is more accuratewhen the first connecting plate is bent relative to the guide plate.This is conducive to an accurate size of the connection member beingbent, and is also helpful for the rechargeable battery to successfullyassemble the battery core, the connection member, and a housing.Moreover, the at least one indentation makes bending of the firstconnecting plate more labor-saving, thereby reducing possible damagecaused by bending to the battery core and a tab of the battery core.

The rechargeable battery of this application includes the foregoingconnection member, and therefore has the same advantages as theconnection member.

Other features and advantages of this application become clear bydescribing in detail exemplary embodiments of this application withreference to the following accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings described herein are intended to provide afurther understanding of this application and constitute a part of thisapplication. The exemplary embodiments of this application and thedescriptions thereof are intended to explain this application and do notconstitute an inappropriate limitation on this application. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a connection member of arechargeable battery before a first connecting plate is bent relative toa guide plate according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic upward view of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged structural diagram of part A of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4 is a schematic three-dimensional structural diagram of theconnection member of the rechargeable battery shown in FIG. 1 after afirst connecting plate is bent relative to a guide plate;

FIG. 5 is a schematic upward view of FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 6 is a schematic enlarged structural diagram of part B of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is a schematic three-dimensional structural diagram of arechargeable battery after a housing is disassembled according to anembodiment of this application, where a first connecting plate has beenconnected to a tab but has not been bent yet;

FIG. 8 is a schematic partially-enlarged structural diagram of an upwardview of the rechargeable battery according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 7 ;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of an alternativeembodiment of the connection member shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of anotheralternative embodiment of the connection member shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a battery core of arechargeable battery according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 12 is a front view of the battery core shown in FIG. 11 ;

FIG. 13 is an upward view of the battery core shown in FIG. 11 ;

FIG. 14 is a schematic three-dimensional structural diagram of arechargeable battery after a housing is disassembled according to anembodiment of this application;

FIG. 15 is a schematic partially-enlarged structural diagram of anupward view of the rechargeable battery according to the embodimentshown in FIG. 14 ;

FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a connection member of arechargeable battery before a first connecting plate is bent relative toa guide plate according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 17 is a schematic enlarged structural diagram of part C of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a schematic three-dimensional structural diagram of aconnection member of a rechargeable battery shown in FIG. 16 after afirst connecting plate is bent relative to a guide plate;

FIG. 19 is a schematic three-dimensional structural diagram of arechargeable battery according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 20 is a schematic three-dimensional structural diagram of arechargeable battery after a housing is disassembled according to theembodiment shown in FIG. 19 ;

FIG. 21 is a schematic enlarged structural diagram of part D of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of an upwardview of the rechargeable battery according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 20 ; and

FIG. 23 is a schematic enlarged structural diagram of part E of FIG. 22.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following clearly and completely describes the technical solutionsin the embodiments of this application with reference to theaccompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application.Apparently, the described embodiments are merely some rather than all ofthe embodiments of this application. The following description of atleast one exemplary embodiment is actually merely illustrative and isnot intended to constitute any limitation on this application and itsapplication or use. All other embodiments obtained by persons ofordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of this applicationwithout creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of thisapplication.

Unless otherwise specified, the relative arrangements, numericexpressions, and values of the components and steps described in theseembodiments do not limit the scope of this application. It should alsobe understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the partsshown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn based on actualproportionality. The technologies, methods, and devices known to thoseof ordinary skill in the relevant fields may not be discussed in detail,but, where appropriate, should be considered as a part of the authorizedspecification. In all the examples shown and discussed herein, anyspecific value should be interpreted as merely an example, not as alimitation. Therefore, different values may be used in other examples ofexemplary embodiments. It should be noted that similar referencenumerals and letters denote similar terms in the following accompanyingdrawings, so that once a particular term is defined in one of theaccompanying drawings, no further discussion is required in thesubsequent accompanying drawings.

In the description of this application, it should be understood that theuse of the terms such as “first” and “second” for limiting parts ismerely intended to facilitate distinguishing between correspondingparts. Unless otherwise stated, the foregoing terms have no specialmeaning, and therefore cannot be construed as a limitation on theprotection scope of this application.

In the description of this application, it should be understood that theorientation or position relationships indicated by the orientation wordssuch as “front, back, up, down, left, right”, “transverse, lengthwise,vertical, horizontal”, and “top, bottom” are usually based on theorientation or position relationships shown in the accompanyingdrawings, and are merely intended to facilitate the description of thisapplication and make the description easy. In absence of oppositedescription, these orientation words do not indicate and imply that thecorresponding apparatus or element must have a given orientation or beconstructed and operated in a given orientation, and therefore shouldnot be construed as a limitation on the protection scope of thisapplication. The orientation words “inside, outside” refer to the innerside and outer side of a profile of each part.

To increase space utilization of the battery core, the first connectingplate is typically bent. During implementation of this application,designers found that, in a process of bending the first connectingplate, an inaccurate bending position may affect a size of a bentconnection member 35, which is not helpful for the rechargeable batteryto successfully assemble a battery core 100, the connection member 35,and a housing.

In the description of this application, a “longitudinal direction” is alongitudinal direction of a rechargeable battery and also a longitudinaldirection of a battery core, corresponding to a direction X in FIG. 7and FIG. 19 . A “width direction” is a width direction of therechargeable battery, corresponding to a direction Y in FIG. 7 and FIG.19 . The “width direction” is also a width direction of a connectionmember and a guide plate of the connection member. A “height direction”is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the widthdirection, corresponding to a direction Z in FIG. 7 and FIG. 19 . The“height direction” is a height direction of the rechargeable battery andthe battery core, and also a height direction of the connection memberand the guide plate of the connection member.

FIG. 1 to FIG. 23 show structures of the rechargeable battery and partsthereof according to the embodiments of this application.

The embodiments of this application provide a connection member 35 of arechargeable battery. The connection member 35 includes a guide plate353 and a first connecting plate 351 integrally formed on the guideplate 353. The first connecting plate 351 is disposed in a bendablemanner relative to the guide plate 353. At least one indentation 35K ispresent between the first connecting plate 351 and the guide plate 353.

The at least one indentation 35K is provided to form a thin part at theat least one indentation 35K between the first connecting plate 351 andthe guide plate 353, so that the bending position is more accurate whenthe first connecting plate 351 is bent relative to the guide plate 353.This is conducive to an accurate size of the connection member 35 beingbent, and is also helpful for the rechargeable battery to successfullyassemble the battery core 100, the connection member 35, and a housing.Moreover, the at least one indentation 35K makes bending of the firstconnecting plate 351 more labor-saving, thereby reducing possible damagecaused by bending to the battery core 100 and a tab 120 of the batterycore.

The rechargeable battery in the embodiments of this application includesthe foregoing connection member, and therefore has the same advantagesas the connection member.

With reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 23 , the rechargeable battery and theconnection member according to the embodiments of this application aredescribed in more detail below.

The connection member 35 is configured to electrically connect a batterycore 100 of a rechargeable battery to outside of the rechargeablebattery. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 , the connection member 35includes the guide plate 353, the first connecting plate 351 connectedto at a side edge of the guide plate 353 in a width direction, and asecond connecting plate 352 connected to the guide plate 353 andconfigured to electrically connect to the outside of the rechargeablebattery. The first connecting plate 351 is configured to connect to thebattery core 100. The second connecting plate 352 is configured toelectrically connect to the outside of rechargeable battery. The atleast one indentation 35K is present between the first connecting plate351 and the guide plate 353 that are of the connection member 35.

The at least one indentation 35K is provided to form a thin part at theat least one indentation 35K between the first connecting plate 351 andthe guide plate 353, so that a bending position is more accurate whenthe first connecting plate 351 is bent relative to the guide plate 353.This is conducive to an accurate size of the connection member 35 beingbent, and is also helpful for the rechargeable battery to successfullyassemble the battery core 100, the connection member 35, and a housing.Moreover, the at least one indentation 35K makes bending of the firstconnecting plate 351 more labor-saving, thereby reducing possible damagecaused by bending to the battery core 100 and a tab 120 of the batterycore.

In this embodiment, in an implementation, the connection member 35includes the at least one indentation 35K provided on a side, of theconnection member 35, to which pressure is applied when the firstconnecting plate 351 is bent relative to the guide plate 353.Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15 , when the first connecting plate 351is bent inwards relative to the guide plate 353, the at least oneindentation 35K is provided on an inner side of the connection member 35because pressure is applied to the inner side of the connection member35. As shown in FIG. 23 , when the first connecting plate 351 is bentoutwards relative to the guide plate 353, the at least one indentation35K is provided on an outer side of the connection member 35 becausepressure is applied to the outer side of the connection member 35.Further, in an implementation, all the indentations 35K of theconnection member 35 are provided on the side, of the connection member35, to which pressure is applied when the first connecting plate 351 isbent relative to the guide plate 353. In this embodiment, the at leastone indentation 35K is provided on the side, of the connection member35, to which pressure is applied when the first connecting plate 351 isbent relative to the guide plate 353, so that there is no tensile stressat the at least one indentation when the first connecting plate 351 isbent. In this way, a probability of breakage of the connection member 35during bending is decreased compared with a case in which the at leastone indentation is provided on a side (corresponding to the outer sideof the connection member 35 in FIG. 15 or corresponding to the innerside of the connection member 35 in FIG. 23 ), of the connection member35, to which a tensile force is applied when the first connecting plate351 is bent relative to the guide plate 353.

To implement effective bending of the connection member 35 andeffectively control a spatial size of the connection member 35 beingbent, in an implementation, as shown in FIG. 6 , the guide plate 353includes a main plate body 3531 and a flanged portion 3532. The flangedportion 3532 is arranged on a side edge of the main plate body 3531 in awidth direction Y. The first connecting plate 351 is connected to theguide plate 353 through the flanged portion 3532. A distance L betweenthe at least one indentation 35K and the main plate body 3531 of theguide plate 353 is 1 to 3 times a thickness of the main plate body. Asshown in FIG. 3 , the distance L is a distance between a deepestposition (for example, an arc bottom of the at least one indentationwhose cross-section is arc-shaped) of the at least one indentation 35Kor a mid-surface (for example, a mid-surface that is of a bottom of theat least one indentation with a trapezoidal cross-section and that isparallel to the main plate body 3531) of the main plate body 3531parallel to the deepest position and a surface, of the main plate body3531, closer to the at least one indentation 35K when the firstconnecting plate 351 is not bent relative to the guide plate 353.

In some embodiments, a depth of the at least one indentation 35K is ¼ to⅓ of a minimum plate thickness at a position of the at least oneindentation 35K when the at least one indentation is not provided. Whena size of the at least one indentation 35K is properly set, an accuratebending position can be obtained, to ensure a connection strengthbetween the first connecting plate 351 and the guide plate 353 andprevent an excessively deep indentation from affecting a current flowcapacity of the connection member 35 at the at least one indentation35K.

As shown in FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the at least one indentation35K is provided continuously along a full length of the bending positionbetween the first connecting plate 351 and the guide plate 353. In someembodiments not shown in the figures, the at least one indentation mayalso be provided continuously along a partial length of the bendingposition between the first connecting plate and the guide plate. In someother embodiments not shown in the figures, the at least one indentation35K includes a plurality of indentation segments provided intermittentlyalong the full or partial length of the bending position between thefirst connecting plate and the guide plate.

The at least one indentation 35K may be in a variety of cross-sectionalshapes. The cross-sectional shape of the at least one indentation 35Kmay be a curve or a polygonal line or a combination of a curve and astraight line. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the at leastone indentation 35K may be an arc shown in FIG. 3 , or a trapezoid shownin FIG. 9 , or a triangle shown in FIG. 10 . The indentations 35K indifferent shapes have different advantages. For example, the indentationwith the arc-shaped cross-section can effectively prevent or alleviatestress concentration. The indentation with the trapezoid-shapedcross-section has a relatively shallow depth, making it easy to ensurethe current flow capacity from the first connecting plate 351 to theguide plate 353. The indentation with the triangular cross-section iseasier to process, and a position of the first connecting plate 351being bent can be relatively more accurate.

In some embodiments, an opening of the at least one indentation 35K islarger than a bottom of the at least one indentation 35K before thefirst connecting plate 351 is bent relative to the guide plate 353. Forexample, for each type of indentation shown in FIG. 3 , FIG. 9 , or FIG.10 , the opening of the at least one indentation forms an elongatedopening, the bottom is either a straight line (a bottom of thearc-shaped cross-section shown in FIG. 3 , and a bottom of thetrapezoid-shaped cross-section shown in FIG. 10 ) or an elongated bottomsmaller than the elongated opening (for example, a bottom of thetrapezoid-shaped cross-section shown in FIG. 9 ). The opening of the atleast one indentation 35K is larger than the bottom of the at least oneindentation 35K, thereby ensuring the bending position of the firstconnecting plate 351 and easy processing of the at least one indentation35K. Furthermore, in the case in which the at least one indentation 35Kis provided on a side, of the connection member 35, to which pressure isapplied when the first connecting plate 351 is bent relative to theguide plate 353, the opening of the at least one indentation 35K can beprotected against pressing or less pressing during the bending of thefirst connecting plate, so that the first connecting plate 351 can bemore easily bent in place.

In addition, in an implementation, ends of the bending position betweenthe first connecting plate 351 and the guide plate 353 include a firstroot and a second root that are respectively arranged at opposite endsof the bending position. The connection member 35 includes a firstgroove 35B arranged at the first root and disposed on the firstconnecting plate 351 and the guide plate 353 and a second groove 35Carranged at the second root and disposed on the first connecting plate351 and the guide plate 353.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 , in the connection member 35 of thisembodiment, the two first connecting plates 351 are respectivelydisposed on two side edges of the guide plate 353 in the width directionY. The first groove 35B is arranged at the first root of the bendingposition, to be specific, at the tops of FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 . The secondgroove 35C is arranged at the second root opposite to the first root ofthe bending position, to be specific, at the bottoms of FIG. 1 and FIG.4 . As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 , the bending position extends along aheight direction Z of the connection member 35, the first groove 35B isrecessed downward from an upper edge of the bending position, and thesecond groove 35C is recessed upward from a lower edge of the bendingposition.

Providing the first groove 35B and the second groove 35C can protect theconnection member 35 against damage to the ends of the bending positionduring bending, and effectively alleviate a crack problem of the endsoccurred during bending for the connection member 35.

In some embodiments, the first groove 35B and the second groove 35C maybe smoothly connected to the first connecting plate 351 and the guideplate 353.

In addition, in an implementation, a cross-section of the groove is asmooth curved section or a smoothly connected multi-section line. Forexample, the first groove 35B or the second groove 35C may be a squaregroove connected through a circular arc at the corner.

In other embodiments not shown in the figures, the groove mayalternatively be a U-shaped groove, an arc-shaped groove, or the like. Across-section shape of the arc-shaped groove may be, for example, asemicircular or a major arc.

With the foregoing disposition, no stress is concentrated at the ends ofthe bending position and/or near the ends of the bending position, whichhelps protect the connection member 35 against partial crack caused bybending of the first connecting plate 351.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , in the rechargeable battery according tosome embodiments of this application, the rechargeable battery mainlyincludes a housing, a top cover 30, a battery core 100, and a connectionmember 35. The housing is not shown in the figures. A longitudinaldirection of the battery core 100 is consistent with a longitudinaldirection X; a thickness direction of the battery core 100 is consistentwith a width direction Y; and a height direction of the battery core 100is consistent with a height direction Z.

The top cover 30 has an explosion-proof valve 32, an injection hole 33,a positive electrode component 31, and a negative electrode component34. In FIG. 7 , W represents a welding position between the firstconnecting plate 351 and a tab 120.

The housing and the top cover 30 form an installation space. The batterycore 100, the guide plate 353 of the connection member 35, and a portionof the first connecting plate 351 below the top cover 30 are arrangedwithin the installation space. The second connecting plate 352 of theconnection member 35 is connected to the electrode components on the topcover 30. In FIG. 7 , a connection hole is provided in the secondconnecting plate 352, and the second connecting plate 352 is connectedto the electrode component through the connection hole.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the electrode component on the top cover 30includes: the positive electrode component 31 configured to electricallyconnect to a positive electrode of the battery core 100, and thenegative electrode component 34 configured to electrically connect to anegative electrode of the battery core 100. The explosion-proof valve 32is further disposed on the top cover 30. Another structure such theinjection hole 33 may be further provided in the top cover 30.

The connection member 35 of the rechargeable battery may be firstfastened to the top cover 30 and the electrode component on the topcover 30, and then connected to the battery core 100. During connectionof the connection member 35 and the battery core 100, after a positionof the guide plate 353 relative to the core body 110 is determined, thefirst connecting plate 351 is fastened to the tab 120 at an angle withrespect to an end surface of the core body 110; then the firstconnecting plate 351 is bent to an assembly position, for example, thefirst connecting plate 351 in this embodiment is bent to be parallel tothe end surface of the core body 110. After assembly of the connectionmember 35 and the battery core 100 is complete, the connection member 35and the battery core 100 are placed into the housing together. Afterassembly of the connection member 35 and the battery core 100 iscomplete, the top cover 30 is placed over an opening of the housing, andthen the top cover 30 is sealed to the housing.

As shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 , a battery core 100 includes a core body110 and a tab 120 extending from the core body 110.

The battery core 100 is a square core formed by stacking and winding apositive plate, a separator, and a negative plate. A width direction ofthe positive plate, the separator, and the negative plate forms alongitudinal direction of the battery core 100.

The positive plate and negative plate each include a substrate and anactive substance coated on the substrate. An area coated with the activesubstance on the substrate forms a coated area. The separator is used toseparate the positive plate from the negative plate, to avoid shortcircuits inside the rechargeable battery. The substrate of the positiveplate may be a first metal foil, for example, an aluminum foil. Thesubstrate of the negative plate may be a second metal foil, for example,a copper foil.

The tab 120 includes a positive tab and a negative tab. The positive tabis formed by a portion, of the first metal foil, not coated with anactive substance on one side edge. The negative tab is formed by aportion, of the second metal foil, not coated with an active substanceon one side edge. In this embodiment, the positive tab and the negativetab are arranged at two ends of the battery core 100 in the longitudinaldirection and protrude beyond the corresponding ends of the separator.

As shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 , in the battery core 100 of thisembodiment, the tab 120 extends from a side of the core body 110 in thethickness direction. As shown in FIG. 11 , the tab 120 extends from arear side of the core body 110 in the thickness direction, but notextending from a front side of the core body 110 in the thicknessdirection, thereby forming a vacancy 122 in the thickness direction.With such disposition, a size occupied by the tab 120 in thelongitudinal direction of the battery core 100 becomes thinner after thefirst connecting plate 351 is bent relative to the guide plate 353, sothat the first connecting plate 351 can be disposed closer to the corebody 110, and an overall size of the connection member 35 and thebattery core 100 in the longitudinal direction is reduced, therebyincreasing the energy density of the rechargeable battery.

In this embodiment, the position of the positive tab is consistent withthat of the negative tab in the thickness direction.

As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 , the tab 120 is arranged in the middleof the core body 110 in the height direction. As shown in FIG. 12 , inthe height direction of the battery core 100, a vacancy 121 isseparately formed on the top and bottom of the tab 120. With suchdisposition, the tab 120 is easier to bend, so that the tab 120 isarranged between the first connecting plate 351 and the core body 110.

The connection member 35 is arranged at an end of the battery core 100in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, one connection member35 is disposed at each end of the battery core 100 in the longitudinaldirection. One connection member 35 is connected to the positive tab ofthe battery core 100, and the other connection member is connected tothe negative tab of the battery core 100. The connection member 35connected to the positive tab of the battery core 100 is connected tothe positive electrode component 31 on the top cover 30, and theconnection member 35 connected to the negative tab of the battery core100 is connected to the negative electrode component 34 on the top cover30, so that the tab 120 can be electrically connected to thecorresponding electrode component through the connection member 35.

In this embodiment, a manner of connecting the connection member 35 tothe tab 120 of the corresponding end is the same for both ends of thebattery core 100. Therefore, the following uses the connection member 35at only one end of the battery core 100 in the longitudinal direction Xand a connection relationship between the connection member 35 and thebattery core 100 as an example for description.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 8 , the connection member 35 includes twofirst connecting plates 351 that are respectively connected on two sidesof the guide plate 353 in the width direction. The second connectingplate 352 is arranged above the battery core 100. Before the firstconnecting plate 351 is bent relative to the guide plate 353, anextension direction of the second connecting plate 352 is opposite tothat of the first connecting plate 351. After assembly of therechargeable battery is complete, the second connecting plate 352 isbent, relative to the guide plate 353, towards the side of the batterycore 100 to be parallel to the end surface of the core body 100. In thisembodiment, the second connecting plate 352 is electrically connected tothe electrode component. In the embodiments not shown in the figures,the second connecting plate may alternatively be used as an electrodecomponent of the rechargeable battery, with no need to specially disposean electrode component.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , in this embodiment, the first connectingplate 351 after being bent is arranged on the inner side of the guideplate 353 in the width direction and parallel to the end surface of thecore body 110, that is, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X ofthe battery core 100.

In this embodiment, the connection member 35 is formed by a whole sheetmaterial. During assembly of the connection member 35 and the batterycore, after the position of the guide plate 353 relative to the batterycore 100 is determined, the first connecting plate 351 is fastened tothe tab 120 to be parallel to the longitudinal direction X of thebattery core 100, and then the first connecting plate 351 is benttowards the inner side of the guide plate 353, to complete assembly ofthe connection member 35 and the battery core 100.

In some embodiments not shown in the figures, after the position of theguide plate 353 relative to the battery core 100 is determined, thefirst connecting plate 351 may alternatively be fastened to the tab 120at an angle deviated away from the longitudinal direction X of thebattery core 100, and then the first connecting plate 351 is benttowards the inner side of the guide plate 353, to complete the assemblyof the connection member 35 and the battery core 100.

The first connecting plate 351 of the connection member 35 and the tab120 of the battery core 100 may be electrically connected by ultrasonicwelding, laser welding, or resistance welding, and also be fastened tosome strength extent. After welding connection, the first connectingplate 351 of the connection member 35 is bent inwards, an internal spaceoccupied by the connection member 35 and the battery core 100 in thelongitudinal direction X is reduced, thereby increasing the energydensity.

In this embodiment, the tab 120 of each of the two battery cores 100 isarranged on a side farther from the other battery core 100. In theembodiments not shown in the figures, the tab 120 of each of the twobattery cores 100 may alternatively be arranged on a side closer to theother battery core 100.

The first connecting plate 351 is bent inwards relative to the guideplate 353, effectively reducing the space occupied by the connectionmember 35 at the end in the longitudinal direction X. Moreover, the tab120 extends from a side in the width direction Y, effectively reducing athickness of the tab 120 and further reducing a space occupied by aconnection position between the connection member 35 and the tab 120.Therefore, the space utilization of the rechargeable battery and theenergy density of the rechargeable battery are effectively improved. Inaddition, due to reduction of the overall thickness of the tab 120, adistance between the tab 120 and the connection member 35 in thelongitudinal direction X can be set smaller, so that an active space ofthe tab 120 in the longitudinal direction X can be effectively reduced.The tab 120 is not prone to damage when the rechargeable battery isvibrated or shocked, and a probability of inserting the tab 120 into thecore body 110 due to pressing is reduced. In this way, a risk of shortcircuits inside the rechargeable battery is reduced and a service lifeand safety performance of the battery core 100 are improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , therechargeable battery further includes a gasket 310 that is fastened tothe first connecting plate 351 and the tab 120, and the tab 120 issandwiched between the first connecting plate 351 and the gasket 310.

The gasket 310 is provided, to reduce direct shock on the tab 120arranged on the side, of the connection member 35, farther from the corebody 110 after the rechargeable battery is vibrated and shocked, toprotect the tab 120 and improve the service life of the rechargeablebattery.

In the embodiments shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 , in addition to thegroove disposed in the connection member 35, a thickness of the firstconnecting plate 351 may be set to be smaller than a thickness of theguide plate 353, and the at least one indentation 35K is also provided.The portion, of the guide plate 353, connected to the first connectingplate 351 becomes gradually thinner in the direction from the guideplate 353 to the first connecting plate 351. The tabs 120 of the twobattery cores 100 are respectively arranged on the sides farther fromthe other battery core 100. The tab 120 is fastened to the firstconnecting plate 351, and no gasket is disposed on the side, of the tab120, opposite to the first connecting plate 351. The two firstconnecting plates 351 of the connection member 35 are bent towards theinner side of the guide plate 353.

Compared with a connection member having a same thickness as the guideplate 353 and the first connecting plate 351, the thickness of the firstconnecting plate 351 is less than the thickness of the guide plate 353,so that a space occupied in the rechargeable battery by the connectionmember 35 after bending can be further reduced, thereby furtherimproving the energy density of the rechargeable battery. Moreover,because the thickness of the first connecting plate 351 decreases,welding and assembly quality of the first connecting plate 351 and thetab 120 of the rechargeable battery can be effectively improved.However, the thickness of the guide plate 353 remains relatively large,to reduce a resistance of the guide plate 353. In this way, an internalresistance of the rechargeable battery can meet a requirement, to ensurethat the rechargeable battery does not heat abruptly when therechargeable battery is charged or discharged at a large rate. Inaddition, the thickness of the first connecting plate 351 is smallerthan that of the guide plate 353, conducive to bending of the firstconnecting plate 351. Therefore, this ensures a relative position of theconnection member 35 and the battery core 100 after bending, facilitatesassembly, and further helps reduce damage to the core body 110 or thetab 120 during bending.

In some embodiments not shown in the figures, the first connecting plate351 may alternatively be bent outwards. In an implementation, at least aportion of the guide plate 353 protrudes, relative to the firstconnecting plate 351, towards the core body 110 to form a protrusion. Inan implementation, the protrusion abuts against the battery core 100.

As shown in FIG. 16 to FIG. 18 , in some embodiments, the connectionmember 35 includes the guide plate 353, two first connecting plates 351connected to both side edges of the guide plate 353 in the widthdirection, and a second connecting plate 352 connected to the guideplate 353 and electrically connected to the outside of the rechargeablebattery. The at least one indentation 35K is present between the firstconnecting plate 351 and the guide plate 353 that are of the connectionmember 35. Compared with the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 8 , thefirst connecting plate 351 in this embodiment is bent towards the outerside of the guide plate 353.

As shown in FIG. 19 to FIG. 23 , the rechargeable battery includes thehousing, the top cover 30, the battery core 100, and the connectionmember 35. The top cover 30 is provided with the positive electrodecomponent 31 configured to electrically connect to the positiveelectrode of the battery core 100, the negative electrode component 34configured to electrically connect to the negative electrode of thebattery core 100, and the explosion-proof valve 32.

In this embodiment, the tab 120 extends from a side of the core body 110in the thickness direction (that is, the width direction Y). The firstconnecting plate 351 of the connection member 35 is connected to a sideof the guide plate 353 in the width direction. The first connectingplate 351 is connected to the tab 120 and extends towards the outer sideof the guide plate 353 in the width direction Y. The first connectingplate 351 is parallel to the end surface of the core body 110, in otherwords, the first connecting plate 351 is perpendicular to a longitudinaldirection X of the battery core 100. At least a portion of the guideplate 353 protrudes, relative to the first connecting plate 351, towardsa side of the core body 110 to form a protrusion, and the protrusionabuts against the battery core 100.

Because at least a portion of the guide plate 353 protrudes, relative tothe first connecting plate 351, towards a side of the core body 110 toform a protrusion and the protrusion abuts against the battery core 100,when the rechargeable battery is vibrated or shocked, the protrusion ofthe guide plate 353 towards the side of the battery core 100 may come incontact with the battery core 100 to enable the connection member 35 tobear a force, thereby effectively alleviating a tab crack problem causedby vibration or shock on the tab 120. In addition, an active space ofthe tab 120 is reduced and a probability of inserting the tab 120 intothe core body 110 due to pressing is reduced, thereby reducing a risk ofshort circuits inside the battery. Because both the probability of crackof the tab 120 and the probability of inserting the tab 120 into thecore body 110 are reduced, the service life and safety performance ofthe battery core 100 can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 23 , the guide plate 353 includes the main plate body3531 and the flanged portion 3532. The flanged portion 3532 is arrangedat a side edge of the main plate body 3531 in the width direction andextends along a direction away from the battery core 100. The firstconnecting plate 351 is connected to the guide plate 353 through theflanged portion 3532. The main plate body 3531 is a flat plate. Theflanged portion 3532 is perpendicular to the main plate body 3531.

In other embodiments not shown in the figures, the flanged portion 3532may alternatively be tilted towards the inner side of the main platebody 3531, or the flanged portion 3532 may be tilted towards the outerside of the main plate body 3531.

In this embodiment, the first connecting plate 351 is parallel to themain plate body 3531. In this case, both the first connecting plate 351and the main plate 3531 are perpendicular to the longitudinal directionX.

In the embodiments not shown in the figures, the first connecting plate351 and the main plate body 3531 may alternatively form an angle, forexample, an outer end of the first connecting plate 351 in the widthdirection Y may be closer to the core body 110 than an inner end in thewidth direction Y.

In the embodiments shown in FIG. 19 to FIG. 23 , the tab 120 of each ofthe two battery cores 100 may be arranged on a side farther from theother battery core 100.

In some exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the guide plate 353is attached to the battery core 100. In this embodiment, the guide plate353 is entirely attached to a side of the core body 110. With suchdisposition, the tab 120 is less prone to damage and insertion into thecore body 110 when the rechargeable battery is vibrated or shocked,further improving the service life and safety performance of the batterycore 100.

In this embodiment, the main plate body 3531 of the connection member 35is attached to the core body 110, to be specific, attached to an endsurface of the separator at an end of the battery core 100 in thelongitudinal direction X. The tab 120 barely plays fixing andpositioning functions in the longitudinal direction X of the batterycore 100, thereby more effectively protecting the tab 120 againstdamage. The main plate body 3531 of the connection member 35 is attachedto the end surface of the separator of the battery core 100 to tightlycompress the battery core 100, thereby playing a role of supporting,fastening, and positioning the battery core 100 along the longitudinaldirection X. This prevents the battery core 100 from shaking inside thehousing after the rechargeable battery is assembled.

The foregoing embodiments shall not constitute a limitation on thisapplication.

For example, in the embodiments not shown in the figures, when the firstconnecting plate is bent outwards and the guide plate at least partiallyprotrudes, relative to the first connecting plate, towards the corebody, the tab of each of the two battery cores may alternatively bearranged on a side closer to the other battery core, to be specific, aposition of extending the tab from the core body is arranged on theinner side of the rechargeable battery in the width direction Y. Themain plate body of the guide plate abuts against a surface of the tab.

For another example, the first connecting plate may alternatively beconnected to a set of battery cores. For example, the connection membermay include two first connecting plates arranged on both sides in thewidth direction. Each first connecting plate is connected to a set ofbattery cores. The tab is disposed on a side of the core body in thethickness direction. The two sets of battery cores may each include twobattery cores, and a tab of each of the two battery cores in one set isarranged on a side closer to the other battery core.

For the foregoing embodiments of this application, related technicalcontent of other embodiments can be referred to or combined unlessotherwise contradicted in the technical features.

Finally, it should be noted that the foregoing embodiments are merelyintended for describing the technical solutions of this application, butnot for limiting this application. Although this application isdescribed in detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments, personsof ordinary skill in the art should understand that they may still makemodifications to the embodiments or make equivalent replacements to someor all technical features thereof, without departing from the scope ofthe technical solutions of this application, which are all included inthe scope of the technical solutions claimed by this application.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connection member of a rechargeable battery,comprising: a guide plate; and a first connecting plate integrallyformed on the guide plate; wherein: the first connecting plate isdisposed in a bendable manner relative to the guide plate; at least oneindentation is present between the first connecting plate and the guideplate; and a portion, of the guide plate except a part corresponding tothe at least one indentation, connected to the first connecting platebecomes gradually thinner in a direction from the guide plate to thefirst connecting plate.
 2. The connection member according to claim 1,wherein the connection member comprises the at least one indentationprovided on a side, of the connection member, to which pressure isapplied when the first connecting plate is bent relative to the guideplate.
 3. The connection member according to claim 2, wherein all theindentations of the connection member are provided on the side, of theconnection member, to which pressure is applied when the firstconnecting plate is bent relative to the guide plate.
 4. The connectionmember according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate comprises a mainplate body and a flanged portion, wherein the flanged portion isarranged at a side edge of the main plate body in a width direction, thefirst connecting plate is connected to the guide plate through theflanged portion, and a distance between the at least one indentation andthe main plate body is 1 to 3 times a thickness of the main plate body.5. The connection member according to claim 2, wherein the guide platecomprises a main plate body and a flanged portion, wherein the flangedportion is arranged at a side edge of the main plate body in a widthdirection, the first connecting plate is connected to the guide platethrough the flanged portion, and a distance between the at least oneindentation and the main plate body is 1 to 3 times a thickness of themain plate body.
 6. The connection member according to claim 3, whereinthe guide plate comprises a main plate body and a flanged portion,wherein the flanged portion is arranged at a side edge of the main platebody in a width direction, the first connecting plate is connected tothe guide plate through the flanged portion, and a distance between theat least one indentation and the main plate body is 1 to 3 times athickness of the main plate body.
 7. The connection member according toclaim 1, wherein a cross-section shape of the at least one indentationis one of a curve, a polygonal line and a combination of a curve and astraight line.
 8. The connection member according to claim 1, wherein anopening of the at least one indentation is larger than a bottom of theat least one indentation before the first connecting plate is bentrelative to the guide plate.
 9. The connection member according to claim2, wherein an opening of the at least one indentation is larger than abottom of the at least one indentation before the first connecting plateis bent relative to the guide plate.
 10. The connection member accordingto claim 1, wherein a depth of the at least one indentation is ¼ to ⅓ ofa minimum plate thickness at a position of the at least one indentationwhen the at least one indentation is not provided.
 11. The connectionmember according to claim 2, wherein a depth of the at least oneindentation is ¼ to ⅓ of a minimum plate thickness at a position of theat least one indentation when the at least one indentation is notprovided.
 12. The connection member according to claim 3, wherein adepth of the at least one indentation is ¼ to ⅓ of a minimum platethickness at a position of the at least one indentation when the atleast one indentation is not provided.
 13. The connection memberaccording to claim 1, wherein the at least one indentation is providedcontinuously along a full or partial length of a bending positionbetween the first connecting plate and the guide plate; or the at leastone indentation comprises a plurality of indentation segments providedintermittently along the full or partial length of the bending positionbetween the first connecting plate and the guide plate.
 14. Theconnection member according to claim 1, wherein ends of a bendingposition between the first connecting plate and the guide plate comprisea first root and a second root that are respectively arranged atopposite ends of the bending position, the connection member comprises afirst groove arranged at the first root and disposed on the firstconnecting plate and the guide plate, and the first groove is recesseddownward from an upper edge of the bending position.
 15. The connectionmember according to claim 14, wherein the connection member furthercomprises a second groove arranged at the second root and disposed onthe first connecting plate and the guide plate, and the second groove isrecessed upward from a lower edge of the bending position.
 16. Theconnection member according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the firstconnecting plate is set to be smaller than a thickness of the guideplate.
 17. The connection member according to claim 1, wherein aportion, of the guide plate, connected to the first connecting platebecomes gradually thinner in a direction from the guide plate to thefirst connecting plate.
 18. A rechargeable battery, comprising a batterycore and the connection member according to claim 1, wherein the firstconnecting plate is connected to a tab of the battery core.
 19. Therechargeable battery according to claim 18, wherein the tab extends froma side of a core body in a width direction; the guide plate extendsalong the width direction, and the first connecting plate extends to anouter side of the guide plate along the width direction, at least aportion of the guide plate protrudes, relative to the first connectingplate, towards the core body of the battery core to form a protrusion,and the protrusion abuts against the battery core.
 20. The rechargeablebattery according to claim 18, wherein the rechargeable battery furthercomprises a gasket that is fastened to the first connecting plate andthe tab, and the tab is sandwiched between the first connecting plateand the gasket.